Central New Mexico Community College was ranked No. 2 in the nation among two-year colleges for the number of associate degrees awarded to Latinos and Native Americans in the 2012-13 school year, according to data published this week.

CNM also ranked 11th in the total number of associate degrees awarded that year, according to Community College Week, the official magazine of the American Association of Community Colleges, which represents more than 1,100 institutions.

The No. 1 school for associate degrees awarded to Latinos is El Paso Community College; for Native Americans, Tulsa Community College.

“This isn’t just great news for CNM and its graduates – it’s great news for our region and our state,” CNM President Kathy Winograd said. “Our college has been intently focused on helping more of our students graduate in recent years because we know that our state needs a more educated workforce to support economic development efforts.”

Community College Week reviews U.S. Department of Education data to compile its annual list of Top 100 Associate Degree Producers. Last year, CNM ranked seventh in the number of degrees awarded to Latinos and third for Native Americans.

CNM was also a leader in the total number of certificates awarded. It awarded 3,368 associate degrees in 2012-13, including 1,445 to Latinos and 204 to Native Americans. It ranked third for the number of two-year certificates awarded – 3,246 – and seventh for one-year certificates – 2,817.

In 2011, CNM established a student-support model called CNM Connect that has been emulated at other colleges. It provides students with a one-stop location for services, including achievement coaches, financial coaching and workshops, on-site access to public benefits screenings, access to scholarship applications, stress management and study skills workshops, among other services.

Also ranking high on the list for degrees awarded to Native Americans are the University of New Mexico-Gallup at No. 4, and Southwest Indian Polytechnic Institute at No. 16.

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